


the scent of blood in the water

by badappple



Series: ShuAke Week 2020 Fics [3]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Attends Shujin Academy, Akechi Goro Leads the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Chess Metaphors, Detective Prince Kurusu Akira, First Meetings, M/M, how homoerotic and charged can i make an introduction scene- the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27623765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badappple/pseuds/badappple
Summary: Kurusu Akira is captivated by the mysterious student from Shujin Academy. Akechi Goro becomes fascinated by the plastic and perfectly manufactured Detective Prince.[Even now, they're still two sides of the same coin.]
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Series: ShuAke Week 2020 Fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016671
Comments: 2
Kudos: 59





	the scent of blood in the water

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ShuAke Week 2020, Day Three: Role Swap, ~~Chocolate~~ and ~~Comfort~~

Kurusu Akira paused once he heard voices down the hallway. Four of them, and three were quite loud. 

“God, this effin’ sucks! Why the hell are they makin’ us do manual labor like this? Isn’t this supposed to be a field trip?” A blond-haired boy groaned, only to get shushed by another person who Akira couldn’t see until he walked closer. 

“Ryuji, keep it down!” A pigtailed girl hissed in a whisper-yell. 

Three students, all dressed in the red and black plaid of Shujin Academy. He could’ve sworn he heard 4 voices, though… guess he’s not as sharp as he usually is today. 

He’d heard of the school after the scandal involving the teacher, and of course he was made aware of the possibility of ‘Phantom Thieves’ at the school. 

Ridiculous. The group had just appeared and were already causing trouble within Akira’s plans, sending the Conspiracy into a tizzy with the sudden change from Madarame. 

“Shujin Academy.. that’s where you all go, right?” The boy had asked, voice rich and charming. It’s who this Ace Detective was- a charmer who’s captured the nation’s heart with his suave looks and casual tone. Many people actually found him to be a relatable figure in the media. 

A mask, to be used and thrown away as Kurusu Akira deemed it fit. That was all this was. Everyone preferred this anyways, the commanding, rich charming-ness of his facade than what lurked underneath. 

The boy ran a hand through his hair casually, placing a hand on his hip. His gray eyes caught sight of one student in particular. 

His maroon eyes dark and deep, almost alluring, framed by glasses that seemed too plastic-y to be real. Something about this boy was drawing Akira in, and he couldn’t understand why. 

Akira worried about coming off too strongly, even in this falsified persona, so he decided not to speak to this boy directly unless the conversation took them there. It seemed a bit gauche to only speak to one and not the others, and he did have a reputation to uphold.

The weight on Goro’s feet tipped from the balls adjusting the stance of himself to keep steady. 

Maroon eyes peaked up to glance momentarily at the intruder of their conversation, giving a light nod to male as an agreement to his question. 

Black hair and black gloves. The gray jacket that the male wore must’ve belonged to a school around here, but Akechi didn’t recognize it. 

The brunet’s stance shifted once more, pulling the bag containing Morgana further up his shoulder to have the non-cat close in case something occurred. 

He let his demeanor adjust into a dominant form, or at least he’d hope it gave off that impression.  Deciding that the best plan was for him to sit and listen, he was curious for the conversation to continue on. 

The raven-haired boy seemed appealing at first sight. What an intriguing first impression. 

Unfortunately, Ryuji piped up before the stranger could do anything else of interest. “Yeah. Whaddya want?” 

Once the intriguing brunet boy gave a nod, a small smile quirked up on Akira’s face. While he was grateful for the second boy’s confirmation, but he wasn’t paying attention to anyone but the brunet boy standing in the middle. 

Thankfully, Akira didn’t embarrass himself by speaking to the wrong students from the wrong school- such a mistake would be unbecoming of the charmingly suave act that he used whenever he wasn’t alone. 

“That’s what I thought. Could tell by the uniforms.” A light chuckle left his lips, acting in amusement. 

In reality, he wasn’t too confident with his own answer, but he wasn’t about to spill that to a group of strangers. They didn’t need to know about his own inadequacies. Placing a hand on his hip, he slightly narrowed his slate-gray eyes at the brunet. 

“Figured I should introduce myself, since we are going to be filming together tomorrow.” His words gave off a tone of casual air, so natural that it was hard for one to tell that his "casual behavior" was practiced for what must’ve been years now.

His gaze never left the brunet, the alluring maroon eyes keeping him entranced, as if they’d hypnotize him if he dared to look for too long. 

Clearing his throat and tugging on his gloves, he finally tore his eyes away from the boy. “Name’s Kurusu Akira, Ace Detective. It’s nice to meet all of you.”

The resting grin that danced on the male’s lips was almost laughable to Akechi. This so-called ‘Ace Detective’ seemed to care an awful lot about appearances. Every single detail about the black-haired boy before him seemed so.. fake. So manufactured, so overly perfect. 

First impressions are everything, right?

Akechi timidly nodded again as he referred to the uniforms, it was certainly obvious enough from the distinct design of their clothing and the news that was swarming Shujin in recent times. He wouldn’t have been that shocked if the detective had heard about it through the Kamoshida case or something similar- perhaps even Akechi’s newsworthy transfer to Shujin caught this boy’s attention. 

Many possibilities were running through Akechi’s mind, but he currently chose to push past them all and wait for the stranger’s next move. 

Akira’s shift in weight to a hand on the hip caught Goro’s attention. Something about how the male carried himself with such pride was holding Akechi’s interest. The subtle ways the Ace Detective aims to dominate this conversation were so interesting. 

The chess pieces were all lined up on the board now. All Goro had to do was make his first move. 

Akira’s gaze inevitably floated back to the brunet. It was hard to look away from the alluring depths of maroon. He couldn’t look away. 

“‘Ace Detective’? What are you, a celebrity?” The vulgar-sounding blond asked, causing Akira’s attention to snap away from the boy he was so enchanted with. 

“A celebrity? Not really… I’ve only been on TV a few times.” Even as he answered the blond, his gaze inevitably drifted back to the maroon pools behind those lenses.

Akechi highly doubted that this boy was any sort of celebrity, as the raven-haired boy likely was around their age. The brunet felt a bit honored, seeing that the detective’s gaze never left his own for very long. 

“Was everything up until now just for me, or my friends too?” He questioned softly with a laugh, trying to refer to how Akira’s eyes were locked onto his own, as if Akechi’s gaze was a keepsake for Akira’s own possession. He pushes his glasses further up his face for extra measure. A single pawn moving forward on the board. 

He wasn’t looking for a serious answer, but Akechi wouldn’t say he was the biggest fan of staring contests during idle chats with people, especially not ones with the mysterious stranger that Kurusu appears to be.

“Was it? Maybe I just find you interesting.”  Akira’s tone switched over to one of suave charm as he answered the half-jesting question with a teasing remark of his own. “Can you really blame me?”

To be utterly and completely transparent, he already felt like he couldn’t give less of a damn about the rest of these people. Perhaps callous thoughts like this, even the ones kept inside, were unbecoming. Yet he didn’t feel the need to lie about this particular fact. Not to himself. Some things weren’t worth fooling yourself over. 

Yet he knew one thing was undeniable; this mysterious Shujin student was just so… inexplicable. So interesting in a way he can't place.

The game of chess had only just begun, and Akechi believed that checkmate was already approaching. Each move on the board, each piece pushed forward brought him closer and closer to the truth of whoever Kurusu Akira is and what his attitude is all about. The detective’s defense was truly a bit paltry most of the time, as if he wasn’t expecting anyone to be this perceptive about the bullshit he’s stringing.  There were plenty of attributes to identify about the boy, yet Akechi still held an unhealthy amount of guesses in his possession. 

But pushing a person’s buttons and getting under their skin by edging on the flaws you notice within their core was a simplistic way of getting answers and reaching checkmate, Akechi supposed.

He’d wonder what was so intriguing about himself to make a small celebrity so completely engrossed in him. Surely the vulgar delinquent and pigtailed femme fatale would be a lot more interesting than what looked like just a simple student. 

Akira did appear to be rather quick witted just like Goro himself, but it didn’t make up for their staring contest earlier. Akechi was known for being pushy about certain things when they bothered him. Or perhaps his cockiness from the Metaverse leaking into him over in this reality. Either way, he wouldn’t pass up this chance to defeat the frizzy-haired boy in backtalk.

“I can certainly put you at fault. I’ve never met you before. I’m not sure why you find me so interesting but I'm quite flattered, Kurusu-kun.” As annoying as it was, formalities needed to be respected at this stage. Coming off too strongly would end their match early. And that would be no fun at all. 

His maroon eyes were piercing needles through the detective as he awaited another reply back, finally reaching the point of desiring a serious, excellently explained comment in return. He’s expecting a lot from the so-called Ace Detective. 

However, the raven-haired boy completely paused, not knowing at all how to answer. 

What… what  _ was _ so damn compelling about the bespectacled student that stood before him? 

The answer was eluding him, dancing on the tip of his tongue but disappearing before he could even find the words to vocalize his answer. He came up with nothing at the moment.  The student was expecting a witty answer out of him that Akira unfortunately doesn’t have. 

He knew he probably should be wrapping it up before he inevitably made a mistake in his demeanor. He had to be perfect, lest his fame come crashing down to earth with his true nature on display for all to see. Or rather, lack thereof. 

That couldn’t be allowed to happen, and he’d be absolutely damned if he let it. 

The brunet before him seemed a lot more perceptive than he ever would’ve imagined, as he clearly noticed the cracks and flaws within his facade. It was dangerous.  Akira knew he should hurry up and be on his merry little way to another mind-numbingly boring meeting. Just say his piece and  _ leave.  _

“Sorry to be intrusive. It’s just...something about you.”  Akira rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly with a free hand, trying to sell the act.  Not to toot his own horn or anything, but he thought it looked pretty natural. 

He seemed so unassuming and casual sometimes, nobody would ever guess the sheer amount of blood staining his hands. 

Akira’s silence had been paradoxically speaking volumes to Akechi. Perhaps he wasn’t as quick as he assumed- that was a bit disappointing. Though, the facade that was cracking before his very eyes was quite impressive. Watching the defeat fall over the male through his awkward silence was certainly satisfying to witness. He could hear the small snickers from Morgana within the bag slung over his shoulder. 

It appears that holding up and negotiating shadows had gotten him somewhere with his words for sure, or perhaps his overflowing charm was far too much for the raven-haired boy. Oh, well. They can’t all be winners. 

Akechi was so close to checkmate now. He can feel it

The detective cleared his throat, frowning slightly.  It was glaringly obvious how he was scrambling for some sort of recovery. “But I don’t have much time, I probably should get going soon. I’m sure you all get it, right?” 

The frown he wore was genuine. The conversation with this boy was proving to be exponentially more interesting compared to the absolutely mindless drivel he usually heard from the adults of his world. 

The thick tension in the air surrounding could’ve been cut with a dagger, Akechi mused internally.  Everyone else looked thankfully none the wiser about their game of wits, though. Akechi was certain that his friends wouldn’t understand. 

Still confused about earlier, Goro didn’t feel  sincere enough about the apology to negotiate it back. 

The escape that Akira tried to pull, even if it was true- meant that Akechi would have the last word. Being cocky was an issue for the brunet sometimes. He always had to come out as number one or nothing at all. 

Pushing his more intense skepticism aside, he cocked his eyebrow up and shoved his other hand lightly in his pocket. Akechi gleaned to the side before his maroon eyes threatened Akira once again. “Kurusu-kun, I don’t know what would be so appealing about me when you haven’t even caught my name...” 

He pushed the fact that the detective didn’t ask for anyone's names, only introducing himself and making the conversation awfully one-sided. As if the black-haired male was trying to dominate the conversation in whatever way he could.  Or maybe he just didn’t care about the others whatsoever, even through the small talk. 

Either way, it was impossible to get Akechi to stop pushing now, he was going to keep prying at this mysterious boy until he received the answers he was looking for. Akechi hoped his finger was pressing a large red button that screamed ‘don’t touch’ right now. 

“Oh, but you need to leave right? Maybe I can expect pleasantries from you another time.” A gentle smile graced his face as he gave a gesture for the man to be on his way, knowing his words were sure to impale Akira somewhere in him. 

And god, Akira was lucky he had practice in situations of this caliber- otherwise, he’d long since have dropped the casual façade he’d made for himself. It was getting hard to keep it up, but he had a plan to fulfill. He didn’t intend on ruining years of hard work just because of a student with a pretty face and dorky-looking glasses. 

That’d be so fucking infuriating.

“Maybe I’d like to keep it a surprise.” He replied, placing a finger to his lips, slightly batting his eyelashes behind faux lenses. “You’re interesting, mystery stranger. Wouldn’t be fun to ruin the mystery so soon.” 

As much as it was just a part of his hard-to-catch act, a part of him did truly mean that. It wouldn’t be nearly as fun if he knew everything about this boy. Maybe it would be interesting to research him as well, and see what he could find. 

More than just simple charm was bubbling beneath the surface of Kurusu Akira, but those feelings were all quickly shoved away into a place his mind was temporarily unable to reach. As it should be. He didn’t want to show even a hint of that. The stranger was certainly getting under his skin and pushing his buttons by now, threatening to expose more and more of those tightly wound emotions. 

But he wouldn’t lose this little game here, and he especially couldn’t afford to slip up when he was going to be filming live with these students the very next day. 

The cool demeanor that Akira had kept up even after Akechi’s attempts to infuriate him was frankly quite impressive. It seemed this field trip wasn’t completely fruitless- he found a foe of his own nature. 

Just  _ what _ was this Ace Detective before him hiding?

Goro’s grin only widened on his lips as the game of cat and mouse continued. It felt almost dream-like to do this with a total stranger, perhaps even picturesque. A detective and a Phantom Thief, engaged like this.. it truly did seem like something out of a novel. 

”You’re quite mysterious yourself, Detective Kurusu. I suppose when we greet each other tomorrow, formalities won’t be needed then.” Akechi laughed lightheartedly, pretending to dip into Akira’s charm that seemed so high and mighty. He did want to admit he was beyond curious of what future he had in store with this newly found foe. 

Would he ever admit that himself? Never. It was simply a desire forming deep within the fiery spirit dwelling in his heart.

“I guess we won’t need them, you’re right… I’m looking forward to learning more about you tomorrow, mystery stranger.”  Akira’s tone had jumped back to the suave charm he’d been using before as he gave a casual laugh. This stranger was just so damn infuriating, yet Akira knew he couldn’t stay away even if he wanted to. 

“The same goes for you, Ace Detective.” Akechi chided, a cocky expression on his features. What a shame this round had to end so early, and in a stalemate at that. There was a promise of more to this game, but what an unfortunate way for this to end. Next time will be better. 

Morgana snickered within his bag. “How long are you gonna bother him for?” 

Pushing his glasses up, Akechi jabbed at the bag with his elbow, earning a muffled yowl from the feline. 

He did not miss Kurusu’s confused expression upon hearing another voice. 

“...Was I the only one who heard someone else—?” Akira blinked, bewildered. 

Oh, this was going to be  _ so _ much more fun than Akechi would have ever imagined. 

Goro shook his head. “Must be your imagination, detective. I didn’t hear a thing.” 

“Guess I’m hearing things now, huh?” Akira gave an awkward laugh as he played with a strand of his hair. The detective didn’t look convinced from Akechi’s explanation, but said nothing more about it.  ”But I really should be going now. I’ll see you later, then." Akira waved to the group, even if it was obvious to anyone with eyesight and a functioning brain that the wave was truly only directed at the brunet student. "Bye."

Akechi Goro watched with a smile as Kurusu Akira disappeared down the hallway, the echo of the detective’s footsteps growing quieter and quieter until they became inaudible. 

Turning back to his group of friends, his smile turned mischievous. This detective would be so much fun. 

“Thank you for suggesting we head to the TV station, Ann-Chan. What a great idea it turned out to be.”

* * *

As soon as Akira knew he was out of sight, he let his expression fall back down to the stone-faced emptiness of his true persona. Even so, he still couldn’t stop thinking about the strange boy and his alluring maroon eyes hidden behind those geeky glasses. 

The brunet wasn’t like most people. Usually, everyone was head over heels for his charming persona, and cared naught for what existed underneath- in fact, nobody noticed that there was anything lurking within him at all. It was a good thing for his ambitions, but  _ god,  _ it was so dreadfully boring.

He typically would just give a charming smirk and make some cheeky remarks, and the crowd would go wild. It was laughable how the masses were only interested in a false television persona, and nothing to do with his ideologies or his work. None of it mattered except for a pretty face and a charming personality. He knows that well. But now, he has a reason to try. 

The rational, smart parts of Akira’s brain told him to stay the hell away from this person. This boy knew how to get under his skin and piss him off on the inside, along with clearly knowing that Akira’s charm was merely a facade. Continuing to speak with him is a risk. 

The stranger was nothing short of dangerous. 

And it’s exactly what Akira has always wanted. 

Akira has been waiting for so,  _ so _ long to find someone like this boy. Someone who poses a challenge, a threat. A worthy rival. 

The sheer rush he’s been getting from the danger this boy represents is so intense that it’s worth risking every ambition he has just to talk to him again. This stranger is the definition of dangerous, and Akira can’t get enough of him. 

Besides, he’d already given this boy an unsaid promise to continue their little game. 

If the stranger wanted a game, Akira would absolutely give him one.

**Author's Note:**

> this au gave me so much brainrot im tempted to write more... i kinda want to  
> twitter is @badappplle . warning for potential 18+ content


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